Improvement in the manufacture of iron



UNITED STATES PATENT DFFICE,

GEORGE CRANE, OF NEAR SWANSEA, GREAT BRlTAlN.

IMPROVEMENT lN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1,024, dated Novcmber 29, 1838.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE CRANE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and now residing at the Yniscedwyn Ironorks, near Swansea, in the said kingdom, iron-master, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in the Manufacture of Iron; and I, the said GEORGE CRANE, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and the mannerin which the same is to be performed are fully ascertained in and by the following statement thereof-thatis to say 4 According to the ordinary practice of obtaining iron from iron-stone, mine, or ore in this country the ironstone, mine, or ore (either calcined or in the raw state, according to its respective qualities) is putinto suitable furnaces with coke produced from bituminous coalformerly called pit coal, in contradistinction 'to charcoal produced from wood, which was the fuel employed in this country previous to the introduction of pit-coal in the smelting and manufacture of iron. Now, as there are districts in which are to be found large quantities ofironstone, mine, or ore in the immediate neighborhood of what is known as stonecoal, or anthracite coal, it has long been considered as a desirable object to employ such coal for the smelting and manufacture of iron, and although attempts hate been madeto apply such description of coal in the smelting and manufacture of iron, the same have failed and have been abandoned. In' addition to such advantages to be obtained from the using of anthracite or stone coal in the districts where such coal is found, together with ironstone, mine, or ore, from the practice 1 have had I am induced to believe such coal, from its properties, will be found to produce a quality of iron more nearly resembling iron obtained by theaid of vegetable charcoal.

Now,

ore; and in order to give the best information in my powerfor enabling a workman to carry out the invention, I will describe the process or means'pursued by me in doing so.

- I will suppose the furnace, of an ordinary construction, to be in blast, and that the ma,

the object of my invention is the ap- .plication of such anthracite or stone coal comehinery and apparatus are adapted for the application of hot-air blast, as is well understood and extensively applied in many places where the ordinary fuel-coke of bituminous coal or the coal in a rawv state-is employed in the manufacture of iron fron f iron-stone, mine, or ore, and I have found hat a surface having suitable apparatus for heating the blast to about 600 of Fahrenheit a good arrangement for carrying out my invention, though so high a degree of temperature is not indispensably necessary, but I believe preferable. In charging such a furnace I throw in about three hundred weight of anthracite or'stone coal or cnlm to each five hundredweight of calcined argillaceous iron-stone with a proper quantity of flux, as if working with the coke of bituminous coal, such'charging of the furnace and the general working, with the exception of the using of anthracite or stone coal, are to be pursued as if working with coke of bituminous coal; and I would remark that the quantities above given are such as I have hitherto employed in makin g the best qualities of pig-iron-videlicet, No. 1 or No. 2-at my works from the anthracite or stone coal or cului; but those quantities may be varied according to local circumstances,

and the refractory nature of the iron-stone, mine, or ore,-or otherwise to be reduced, and the quality of iron desired to be obtained, as is the case in ordinary working, andat the judgment and discretion of the manager as heretofore. And I would remark that the anthracite or. stone coal or cuhn may be coked in like manner to bituminous coal before charging the furnace; but from my experience 1 have not found that such coking is necessary or that a more advantageous result is obtained than in applying the anthracite or stone coal directly frointhe mine; and it is desirableto observe L have fouudit of advauta gethat the blast tot" hot air should be as free andiunimpeded' a's possible, and from that accountil have hitherto used only anthracite or stone cosh-the smaller parts of which would not pass through a sieve of an inch mesh; but where the pillar or volume of blastis considerable-say two pounds and upwards on the square iuch--this precaution is not necessary.

Havingthus described the nature of my in; vention and the manner ofcarrying the same into efl'ect, I wouid haveit nnderstood that I do not claim the using of a hot-air blast sepa: rately in the smelting and manufacture ofi 'on as of my invention when uncoinbined withthe application of anthracite-or. stone coal and cn1m;nor do'I- claim the application ofnnthmciie (gr-stone coal in the manufacture orsmelting of iron when uncombined with the using of hot-air blast but What I do claim asmy'invention :is'- Theapplioation ofanthra'cite orstonecoal and calm, combined with the using of hob-air blast in .the smelting and manufacture of iron from iron-stone, mine, or ore, as above described.

In witness whereof I, the said GEORGE CRANE, have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of March,- 1837. n

GEORGE CRANE.

Witnesses:

A. OARPMAEL,

W. H. B ron-m 

